My birthday gift: Skoda Laura 2.0TDI MT

This is a discussion on My birthday gift: Skoda Laura 2.0TDI MT within Test-Drives & Initial Ownership Reports, part of the Team-BHP Reviews category; Feels good to be able to post on team-bhp,Its the same feeling when you make new friends during your childhood ...

Feels good to be able to post on team-bhp,Its the same feeling when you make new friends during your childhood and have a certain set of apprehensions during the initial meets but the relation then develops to be that of a lifetime.
So here i am ready to tell you about something that was the biggest surprise of my life atleast until now.17th dec
It was 17th of dec 2010 and i had just got back after giving an exam,Thats when i get a call from my father asking me whether we should buy the innova out of the blue ,It was like a shock for me but a pleasant one.So i strictly followed his orders and went to mgf toyota to check out the top-end innova.
The sales staff was very prompt and courteous ,took a test drive and was impressed,Called my father straight away from there telling him how good the car was.We decided that we would take the decision in the evening.I was so happy for we were buying a new car,But then as we all know life is not easy and this moment came and poked my dreams of owning the innova just as we happened to pass the skoda showroom.I decided to stop over and check the yeti......boy o boy was it looking sexy in the red color on display.I had an instant change of ideas and decided it itself in my mind that yeti it will be.
I came back home discussed yeti and innova with my father and tried to incline him towards him towards the yeti though he was every bit neutral initially until i showed him pics and videos of yeti online.18th dec
Decided to visit the skoda showroom with my dad and a friend,We straight away proceeded towards the yeti on display,We all were impressed but then the tight rear seating was the deal breaker and that is where another car came into picture.The skoda laura an elegance AT in arctic breeze was on display we sat in it and the interiors were just amazing wasn't a drastic drop from our 320d instead the interiors were very comfortable and cozy.This is when my father decided Laura it will be.We decided on artic breeze elegance 2.0 MT.19th dec
Then i took my mother to show her the car and she was impressed.Then came a shock the SE told us that arctic breeze in the desired variant wasn't available and since we(basically me )very eager to get hold of the car i asked him how much time would it take for the color to arrived and i got an unsure answer stating probably the 1st week of january.So i asked the SE to place an order for the same and came back.
Now came another shock rather a surprise when i came back home i was told that this car was for me since my birthday is approaching and this made me restless(couldn't sleep the whole night)20th dec
Monday came and we placed all the papers in order to get the DD,It was to be given to us on tuesday morning.But the unavailability of the color and the unsure delivery date was pinching me constantly.I was constantly contemplating about going in for other colors as well.21st dec
The D-Day,Went to the bank with my father to collect the DD and expressed my desire to get the laura in cappucino beige(my eagerness made me change my choice),my father agreed.Called the SE to check for CB in stock and voila it was in stock.I ask him to get the car ready for delivery at about 11.30.
Went to take the delivery at about 4pm.There it was my car gleaming in all its glory outside the showroom.
All the paperwork was completed and i got my gift well in advance.The staff was very helpful and prompt barring a few issues here and there.We were given a box of chocolate and got the usual freebies like floor mats,body cover(i doubt its quality) and complementary teflon coating(still pending owing to the weather).

Welcome to TBHP! Hearty Congratulations on your big gift, and also a very happy birthday (belated) to you!!
By the way, do post a detailed report about everything in and out of your car and also some nice pictures of the gleaming beast.

(This request is for us - your fellows to get more information and look at your car. But also a tip to you since you are new The compact informative report you have up there accounts as a buying and car deciding experience and I'm afraid you'll get a tip from the mods mentioning you have to also narrate other details and good/bads of your car there.)

Congrats trumpcard.Laura is one car which i love the most.I simply love the understated looks of skodas .Belated birthday wishes.Happy new year.Upload some pics for viewing pleasure.
Drive safe
Sreehari

First of all a very happy happy new year to all the fellow BHPians. By the way my birthday has still not arrived its on the 7th,Just the prospect of owning a new car made me rush through the whole process

Basic Details
Distance covered:I have covered a little less than 400 kms on her till now,I am not getting much time since my exams are on,But once they get over i plan to take her out for a long drive on NH-8.
Average:This is something i am not happy with because i am getting only 12-13kmpl,But maybe since this is just the first tank full it will increase gradually as more kms are registered on her.
Speed:I am being easy on her but couldn't stop myself from taking her to 100-110 twice or thrice.
Issues:None as of now(TOUCHWOOD)

Pros
1. The car is an absolute stunner,But then looks is one department that is quite subjective.
2. The overall feel of the car is at par with the germans.
3. It has the necessary safety features ABS,EBD and Airbags.
4. There is ample power in the car,every gear has the power rush in it.
5. I love these small-small features such as when the auto up/down power window for safety purpose encounters something (like your hand) while going up automatically comes down(I dont know what this feature is called).
6. This car is big and I mean BIG, makes you feel special
7. The twin chillers, I love the fact of having a chiller in my car.
8. The OEM ICE is fantastic.

cons
1. No USB connectivity.
2. No steering mounted audio controls.

Here are a few more photos,I will put up more pics once i get some time off from my exams. Please excuse the photo quality as they have been clicked from my phone.

Attached Thumbnails

Last edited by Amartya : 2nd January 2011 at 04:46.
Reason: Removed the second attachment, the file was corrupt, in case you want to attach it again, drop me a PM

Feels good to be able to post on team-bhp,Its the same feeling when you make new friends during your childhood and have a certain set of apprehensions during the initial meets but the relation then develops to be that of a lifetime.
,body cover(i doubt its quality) and complementary teflon coating(still pending owing to the weather).

1) Welcome to TBHP + congratulations on your new machine.

2) Please go through telfon coating thread on Tbhp. I have heard it can do more bad then good.
If at all you are going in for teflon coating, then make sure that teflon coating is not done on windscreen and windows.
We made this mistake and even 5 years down the line, cleaning the windscreen and windows is difficult.

Quote:

Originally Posted by trumpcard

3) I love these small-small features such as when the auto up/down power window for safety purpose encounters something (like your hand) while going up automatically comes down(I dont know what this feature is called).

I too bought a Skoda Laura DSG Ambiente from Giriraj auto last month. My car is returning better FE figure since day 1 than the figures you have quoted, by the time you will get used to the car the FE will improve.

I guess this is your first Diesel, the owner's manual advises to upshift the to 2nd as soon as the car starts moving, Diesel especially this one are best enjoyed at lower revs, the engine in this tune hits the peak torque from as low as 1500rpm. I have driven this variant no MT car of this or a segment higher except the Jetta(Which also has the same engine, 110hp) can match the in-gear acceleration times.

I guess this is your first Diesel, the owner's manual advises to upshift the to 2nd as soon as the car starts moving, Diesel especially this one are best enjoyed at lower revs, the engine in this tune hits the peak torque from as low as 1500rpm. I have driven this variant no MT car of this or a segment higher except the Jetta(Which also has the same engine, 110hp) can match the in-gear acceleration times.

Well this is not my first diesel, we have the Verna and 320d, however, I totally agree about the in-gear acceleration.
I am a bit concerned about the FE, let's see what happens after a few more hundred kms. By the way did you get the teflon coating?

Last edited by Amartya : 2nd January 2011 at 04:43.
Reason: Minor formatting, removal of 'dots' and any sms'ey references.